www.remixxedradio.com reporting Live from the Rally in Columbus Ohio against the Police Brutality and Shootings & Beatings of Youth by Police officers of Columbus.
to see the video go to www.youtube.com/hustlebabyent
Official Press Release:
March 5 2009 @ Columbus City Hall
The Community Leadership Council for Justice is an umbrella organization of community organizations such as the The Community Intervention Team, NAACP The Grassroots Ordinary People Movement along with some members of the Baptist ministerial Alliance and others are calling for a Press Conference at city hall Thursday at 2pm.
The purpose of theis press conference is to Highlight the Presidents visit to Columbus Ohio and to show disagreements for the stimulus package, or any federal aid being used to fund the Mayor's Special Task Force. The issues being undertaken by these organizations are police brutality, illegal shooting of unarmend African-American men and children, illegal stops & seizures, racial profiling and basic violations of our citizen's civil rights.
We will discuss possible legal actions against the City of Columbus and the Columbus Police Department at press time.
Thank You for your considerations in theis matter
Contacts Available upon request.
DJ Isis Reporting Live from Hope Central.
The Pickens Plan: For those who would like to become an active participant in a solution for our nations energy needs I urge you to join with T.Boone Pickens in his quest for a cleaner planet through alternative energy.
Also see Green Wave Energy: Green Wave was founded by Mark Holmes and was formulated for viable alternative energy solutions. Green Wave Energy is promoting state-of-the-art energy-saving products and services throughout the country.
Green Wave Energy understands alternative energy technology will become “main stream” when
Call 949.645.1701 for information on how Green Wave Energy can help you save the planet.
Alternative EnergySource: David Apperson
url: http://veterans.barackobama.com/page/community/tag/alternative-energy
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Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss is a few points from Democrat Jim Martin for U.S. Senate in current polling in the Georgia U.S. Senate runoff race. Senate Runoff in 35 Language Translations. Runoff election to be held Tuesday, 2 DEC 2008.
Any help you can give polling voters is greatly appreciated. Democrats want to win this race!
The more Democratic Senators in office the easier it will be for President Elect Obama's economic policies to be implemented without a chance of a partisan filibuster.
REGISTERED GEORGIA VOTERS ARE REQUESTED TO VOTE DEMOCRAT
To register, contact Geneve [ gbergeron@martinvictory.com ] or call 815.252.9684
Ted, Vote Builder Administrator [ techsupport@georgiademocrat.org ] or call 678.278.2103
Georgia Voting Locations [ PDF ]
Want to vote - call 404.748.2754. A Jim Martin for U.S. Senate volunteer will be happy to hand-deliver an absentee ballot application to you home or office.
Obamagelicals are requested to distribute this message to friends within the Obama groups and to other individuals you feel comfortable asking to help on your mailing list.
Thanks - David Apperson
GEORGIA SENATE RUNOFF SEARCH QUERIES Altavista | Google | Lycos | MSN | Yahoo
So...now that we have worked our tails off to bring about change, I have been thinking what role i will serve and want to serve in the new american landscape, and here, wanted to give a shout out to any and all geeks in the columbus metro area who would like to join together to form a Columbus Metro "TechCorp" (like Americorp) to help serve local nonprofit and social services agencies and their clients.
THE POPULATION:Columbus Ohio is the fastest growing tech economy in the United States (Forbes Magazine, 2008), and hosts myriad nonprofit and social services being both the largest city in the state and, being the seat of the statehouse. Without even opening Firstlink's annual directory of nonprofits---which measures inches thick---there are more causes and issue focus group in Columbus Metro than any other locale in the state. A small percentage of those can afford IT staff and they all have IT needs even if they can staff. From traditional avenues such as hunger, health, education, to lesser known but empowering organizations such as---lower popwer FM stations, Linux freeware groups, youth arts programming---in whetver way you produce, support, utilize technological resources---there are likely to be causes your expertise can be aimed to support.
THE NEED:Beyond the idea of a "digital divide", beyond access issues, the Columbus Metro nonprofit community faces unique challenges that will need be met over the comign decade.First, an able and available community of information and communication technology (ICT) professionals ready to serve where they are needed. Despite being the largest potential nonprofit service delivery economy in the state---there are few IT service providers in Columbus dedicated to serving the nonprofit community, and of those few that do operate, their fees place them well out of the range of most agencies. The "circuit rider" movement of the late 1990's have evolved into the "nonprofit technology assistance providers" (NTAP's) of now. Such organizations and individuals are providing a valuable service and I applaud their commitment, their innovation and their efforts, however, I do not fail to miss that their ascendency in the IT economy---is related to the fact that they operate in something like a service delivery vacuum. Who else can agencies call for IT services if they cannot afford to hire staff, cannot find a volunteer with the kind of expertise they require? At present choices are few, but the talent pool and ethic for service is deep in the community. How can we connect?
Second, agencies will have to provide technology realted mentoring, technology training and technological resources to their populations as facilitators of economic growth and community stability. Working with youth in at-risk and public educational settings, adult learners in college and organizational settings---has led me to the conclusion that we need people to go out to agencies to provide expertise, insight, concern, care and resources to enhance and cultivate the creative, anaylytical and critical thinking skills that youth and career re-trainers both---will need to enter and maintain themselves in the future workforce. Youth are starving for opportunities to use technology in a meaningful way, and agencies desire the ability to better understand and relate the role technology will play in shaping their service delivery goals in the coming decade. We need teacher and technology evangelist, creatives and coding polyglots. We need presenters and mentors.
Third, in the columbus community, there are presently no opportunities to connect technology students and practioners with agencies in a meaningful way. I can name three agencies that collect data by paper and that spend months of work-hours---collating that data to provide it to donors and grant providers. Tech wisdom would say, implement a MiS database, but where is talent to do so? I can tell you from my own exprience, that no local university has a dedicated staff to connecting young technology professionals with ICT related service opportunities, in Columbus, you cannot even find a local NTAP chapter at a local university---which says alot to me about the market. With such a large pool of talent, and a great need for such talent, I hold that we need to connect those with the talent with the agencies in need. Utilizing blogs, wiki tech, cellular tech, for those who want to serve---I believe it would be easy to create a network to those with a need.
YES WE CAN ...WAYS WE CAN MEET IT NEEDS IN COLUMBUS NONPROFIT SECTOR:If you are graphic designer...agencies need websites, brochures and annual review designed...lots of range!If you are a creative in multimedia design----teach a workshop once a year, kids and adults love showing off their creativtyIf You are a programmer---help design agency toolsIf You are A+ certified---take tech calls on site or offIf You are MiS---develop a reporting database system If You are a funder---give more money for technology related goals, help steer resourcesIf You are administrative---volunteer to define and proliferate IT boards at agenciesIf You are Project Mgr---help agencies understand how to define policy to deliver on tech goalsIf you are UI---help agencies understanding usabilityIf you are disabled---become a advocate for agencies to increase accessibility via web and tech routesIf your dance card is full...know that most agencies open labs at evening hours and on weekends, and that some are even open all night.
GETTING TOGETHER If any of this is making sense, and you know you have the talents to play a role, please contact me to take part. I have a place we can meet, have server tech to get started, and a network of agencies that could use our help and would likely welcome us by spreading the word. If successful, we could also start a NPO of our own dedicated to this cause through local innovation grants.
If you believe you can play a role, or know folks who might want to, be in touch or pass this along...
Looking Forward.Lance Odittlanceoditt@gmail.com
Canvassing is the meat and potatoes of the field effort here, and in that regard the Ohio Campaign for Change has created an incredible machine. Built by Neighborhood Team Leaders, operated by teams, this movement is almost totally run by volunteers. They take responsibility, and they get the job done.
And often "the job" means knocking on a lot of doors. Like a whole lot of doors. Like more than 385,000 doors in one weekend. Ohio took on the Obama field staff in Pennsylvania and avenged the Buckeyes' football loss by besting them by 7000 doors. Other statistics from that week include:
Much of that ground firepower comes from setting up shop in areas that have never seen a field force from a Democratic candidate, ever--like in Dover, where a supporter created her own unstealable version of a yard sign
Unsurprisingly, the press has taken notice of the Campaign for Change's serious ground game advantage. Here is just some of the coverage from over the last couple months, regarding the field effort. Click the link to be taken to the article:
And finally, a recent article from the Los Angeles Times:
Reporting from Delaware, Ohio — John McCain has targeted this wealthy area just north of Columbus as one of 15 counties in Ohio where he needs to drive up his vote tally if he is to beat Barack Obama on Tuesday in this must-win state. But on Friday night, only nine volunteers manned the 24 phones in the McCain campaign office. The phone bank began operating on a daily basis just two weeks ago. And only five people have shown up on most weekdays since then to canvas local neighborhoods.Obama's campaign, in contrast, has flooded this Republican bastion with volunteers. Some canvassers first hit the winding streets of nearby subdivisions in March during the Democratic primary, and they have worked almost nonstop ever since in search of supporters. Ohio is a battleground in the presidential race, and here's the view on the front line: McCain's get-out-the-vote operation has struggled to build momentum, and it appears outgunned by Obama's. This time, the Democrats have shifted strategies -- and may have the upper hand. Learning from the Bush effort, Obama has taken his fight directly into suburban and rural GOP strongholds in an effort to curb McCain's potential margins. Obama has 82 offices in the state, nearly twice as many as McCain. Labor unions are backing his effort with more than 12,000 volunteers. "McCain does not have the kind of ground organization that Obama has, not even close," said Nancy Martorano, associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton. "I've never seen anything like the Obama ground game," agreed Paul Beck, professor of political science at Ohio State University in Columbus. "It is light-years ahead of what the Democrats did four years ago."
With the Ohio Campaign for Change's sprawling and aggressive ground efforts, volunteers have been engaged for months now in every single part of Ohio. In terms of their activities, they've done everything you'd expect from a campaign, and much much more. Sure there's been canvassing, phonebanking, and data entry, but there have also been house meetings, debate watch parties, birthday pot lucks, booths at festivals--too much to name. Here is a look at some moments from all the activity in the field over the last five months.
Back in September, Field Organizer Liz, in Port Clinton, held a very special house meeting... on an island!
John Donne's observation that "no man is an island" was the theme of last week's Obama house meeting on, well, an island. Marty and Kelly, longtime residents of Put-in-Bay, rounded up a dozen of their friends to talk about how high the stakes are in this election. Every vote in every precinct of Ohio -- including the hundreds that will be cast for Barack and Joe at polling places in the middle of Lake Erie -- will make the difference this year.
In Marion, a debate watch party did its job--drew an undecided into the fold. Field Organizer Hannah snapped a picture:
Anderson Township, in Cincinnati, is known as a historically conservative area. Which is exactly why volunteers held neighborhood meetings there, so that Obama supporters would know they're not alone! Local team leader Vanessa writes a moving account of the Anderson Township meeting--where everyone seemed to be shocked by the turnout:
I have been campaigning in this little conservative village for some time now. People are very reserved and do not like to talk about politics. And I'm just witnessing the power of Obama message. People are tired of war, are tired of unaffordable health care or schools not up to the level of the global economy. But they have also find a leader who gives them hope that things can be improved if we just work hard. And people are demonstrating their desire for a better country that goes beyond their personal interest. We had about 50 people convening at the Anderson Center to learn about the campaign and its grassroots effort, and to share their extraordinary and ordinary stories. I myself learned form my parents and relatives, who lived the end of World War II, how horrible is the war from their stories. I moved from Italy, where I grew up, to Japan and now I have been leaving in Cincinnati for 7 years. I was never in favor of the war in Iraq since the beginning. I would like my daughters to grow in a world as peaceful as possible. Another lady at the meeting told us her story about her childhood in Korea during Korean War and Vietnam War, and described them as an horrible experience, and she wish other people don't suffer as she and her family did. Unaffordable health care and schools that are not able to prepare future generation to compete in the global economy were also some of the reasons Anderson residents are choosing Obama as their next President of the United States. The meeting was a very energizing experience and I'll keep working with those new friends to elect Barack Obama our next President of Unites States.
Finally, Courtney has this heartwarming story from canvassing last weekend:
TaLisa and I canvassed Ward 4 today, a very economically depressed area of Columbus. Several voters that we spoke to felt that their vote would not count even though they were registered. Amidst all this, there two young boys that were playing football with an empty Gatorade bottle across the street from our targeted doors. These two boys, in the third and fourth grade, helped direct us to which doors were occupied. After several not-homes, we stopped to talk to them and asked if they knew Barack Obama. The fourth grader did, but the third grader did not. We gave them literature and told them to take it to their parents…And they sat down on the sidewalk where they were playing and began reading it out loud to one another and expressed they were excited about taking it with them to school.
TaLisa and I canvassed Ward 4 today, a very economically depressed area of Columbus. Several voters that we spoke to felt that their vote would not count even though they were registered.
Amidst all this, there two young boys that were playing football with an empty Gatorade bottle across the street from our targeted doors. These two boys, in the third and fourth grade, helped direct us to which doors were occupied. After several not-homes, we stopped to talk to them and asked if they knew Barack Obama. The fourth grader did, but the third grader did not. We gave them literature and told them to take it to their parents…
And they sat down on the sidewalk where they were playing and began reading it out loud to one another and expressed they were excited about taking it with them to school.
Do you have a story from volunteering? What kind of Obama activity has gone on in your area in the last five months? Let us know in the comment section below.
And it's not too late to make some memories in these last days of the campaign. Sign up to get out the vote right now.
All sources are saying there is going to be a historically humungous turnout on Tuesday. But more than a million people in Ohio have gotten the job done already by voting early. (Now they can devote their time on Election Day to getting out the vote!)
(Above cartoon is from the Kenyon Collegian)
Here are some stories from a few excited early voters:
Robyn from Fairborn: The highlight of this experience was seeing all of the young people who showed up to vote. I'm only 30 years old, however, I rarely see young people voting when I arrive at the polls. This has certainly been a moving experience. Kollin from Columbus: I was very encouraged to see tons of enthusiastic Barack Obama supporters out in front of the veterans building where I voted. I brought my brother along and made him vote as well. Because I was so impressed with how easy it was to vote, I made calls to all my family and friends to go out and vote as well, I even figured out early vote locations and got them directions to these locations. I'm excited about our chances here in Ohio. Jared in South Zanesville: I was so proud to be able to walk in and cast my vote for Senators Obama & Biden (along with a host of other Democrats in state and local offices). I am too young to have taken part in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, but I could not help but think I was doing something important to advance civil rights, end poverty, improve health care, expand civil liberties and make America economically strong again. I actually sat there for a moment after filling out my ballot just to be present in the moment. I then went to the local Obama headquarters and made phone calls to undecided voters for 3 hours!!!!!!
Make the pledge to vote early. Or just find your early vote location using the tool below:
Hungry for change? Why wait?
Sad circumstances may have brought Michelle Obama to the Buckeye State today (she was filling in for Barack, who is visiting his ailing grandmother in Hawaii), but for the people in Ohio it was nothing but an absolute pleasure to see the woman they hope will be the next First Lady.
At rallies in Columbus and Akron, crowds packed gyms to hear her speak about who her husband is, and why this is so important. She had special guests at each, with Senator Sherrod Brown on hand in Columbus, and actress Jurnee Smollett amongst the crowd in Akron. There, local volunteer Gail took the stage to introduce Michelle. Gail spoke about how she had lost her job, and became a victim of predatory lending, to the point where her home was foreclosed. She nearly teared up as she talked about how it is to drive by the old family home now. But she fervently urged the crowd to get involved volunteering, and to cast their vote early.
I hate politics. This is the first time in my life that I've ever been involved whatsoever...I do whatever I can do. Because when you don't have a job... you have a lot of time!I have voted early, and I brought my mother. If you're wondering if voting early is complicated--trust me, it's not!
I hate politics. This is the first time in my life that I've ever been involved whatsoever...
I do whatever I can do. Because when you don't have a job... you have a lot of time!
I have voted early, and I brought my mother. If you're wondering if voting early is complicated--trust me, it's not!
Here are some pictures from the events:
At her rallies, Michelle talked about Barack as only she could. In her own passionate way, she riled the crowd by imparting to them just why her husband is running for president, and exactly what is at stake. Even more than at a Barack rally, she traded jokes and back-and-forth conversations with people in the crowd. At one moment she stopped because something caught her eye. "Ooo, it's an Obama mask! I forgot it was Halloween!"
With Michelle, there is never a shortage of great sound bites, but she was best when talking simply about how...
Barack gets it. There's something that happens to you when you grow up regular.Don't we deserve a leader who knows what it's like to carry a little loan debt?
Barack gets it.
There's something that happens to you when you grow up regular.
Don't we deserve a leader who knows what it's like to carry a little loan debt?
And that is what she drove home: that Barack will work for working people, because it's in him. He knows what it's like to pay off debt, work two jobs, and sacrifice some daily expenses for others when money is tight.
Between events, Michelle made phone calls with volunteers at the Summit County Headquarters, and at the Akron rally she mentioned one woman she had talked to:
This woman had gone blind, her husband had left her, and her son had gone off to war. And she was praying for Barack's grandmother. That's America.
Michelle also did a stellar job of making everyone in the crowd feel the importance of doing their part--volunteering, and voting early. Not only did they hear her, but they were fired up and ready to do it. As she said:
Barack can bring us 85% of the way there. But it's on us--we have to provide the last 15%.Don't wait until Election Day to vote! You might have a flat tire! You might not have gas!
Barack can bring us 85% of the way there. But it's on us--we have to provide the last 15%.
Don't wait until Election Day to vote! You might have a flat tire! You might not have gas!
Do your part.
Volunteer in these last 11 days.
And vote early.
Tomorrow, the Campaign for Change will be hosting a very special women's health event, at the Ohio State University, in Columbus. Please join health care experts as well as star of stage and screen Cynthia Nixon, best known as "Miranda" from "Sex and the City." Below are the details, which you can also access on My.BarackObama.com by clicking HERE:
Women's Health Issues Forum, with SPECIAL GUEST CYNTHIA NIXON - A Close Up on CancerPlease join us for a discussion of Barack Obama's Plan for a Healthy America as it relates to women's health and cancer, featuring guests:Charles Shapiro, M.D.Electra Paskett, PhD.Rebekah Gee, M.D.Anna Cluxton, survivor and advocateCynthia Nixon, actress and activist.WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22nd at 7:00 PMThe Ohio State UniversityHitchcock Hall, Room 352070 Neil AvenueColumbus, OH 43210RSVP online: http://OH.BarackObama.com/WomensHealthCancerForum
Women's Health Issues Forum, with SPECIAL GUEST CYNTHIA NIXON - A Close Up on CancerPlease join us for a discussion of Barack Obama's Plan for a Healthy America as it relates to women's health and cancer, featuring guests:Charles Shapiro, M.D.Electra Paskett, PhD.Rebekah Gee, M.D.Anna Cluxton, survivor and advocateCynthia Nixon, actress and activist.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22nd at 7:00 PMThe Ohio State UniversityHitchcock Hall, Room 352070 Neil AvenueColumbus, OH 43210
RSVP online: http://OH.BarackObama.com/WomensHealthCancerForum
Invite one of your undecided friends! You can RSVP by clicking HERE. Or visit:
http://OH.BarackObama.com/WomensHealthCancerForum
From Aviva:
Senator Obama culminated his American Jobs Tour right here in Columbus yesterday at Genoa Park. Everything about the day seemed hopeful; after a week of October chill and rain, the late morning skies were cloudless and vibrant blue. By 10:00, three hours before the rally began, the line into the park stretched across the entire bridge on Broad Street.
More than ten thousand people crammed themselves into the relatively small space, many skipping work and school in order to see the next President of the United States.
Both the perfect weather and the morale held up even as the sun started to bear down on the patient crowds. As one speaker said:
If you don’t vote today in this beautiful weather, you can’t complain about weather on Election Day!
After a brief prayer and rousing speeches by Ohio Attorney General candidate Richard Cordray, Mayor Michael Coleman, Governor Ted Strickland, and Senator Sherrod Brown, Barack ascended the grassy steps of the park to take the stage, announced by an eruption of cheers.A sea of American flags and Obama-Biden signs greeted him ecstatically. Barack was equal to it, warmly thanking his supporters before settling down to business. The senator laid out the specifics of his plans for the currently desperate state of the economy, in the same vein as he had at various sites in Ohio in the past two days. This time, however, the city of Columbus stood behind him, elegantly gleaming in the sun.Besides the economy, the senator touched on the recent ugly turn in his opponent’s campaign. “Hope beats fear,” he assured us. The crowd took up the cry, and the chant of “Hope beats fear” reverberated throughout the park.After the rally, an exodus of supporters flooded Broad Street and headed to the nearby Veterans' Memorial, where many of the attendees immediately cast their vote for Barack.
This is how we win.
Approximately 600 organizers, in one room, treated to a detailed manual, a dynamic visual presentation, and a strong voice at the front, all informing them exactly what to do in the next few weeks, to make sure that every single supporter casts their vote for Barack Obama.
That may sound less-than-stimulating to most people, but this crew is proud to call themselves community organizers, and jump at the opportunity to share ideas and absorb knowledge on how to effectively mobilize their area to get them to the polls to make change. To say that they're fired up is putting it mildly. This is their livelihood. This is what they do, and what they've spent every waking hour doing for the last several weeks, months, and for some, even years.
And as is the Obama field team motto, they were respected, empowered, and included. Respected, by being allowed a time for each to tell their story of why they are working for change, and being trusted to take what was learned today and adapting it to each community. Empowered, by being armed with an arsenal of meticulously thought out materials and presented with G.O.T.V. simulations that problem-solve every possible issue that could come up on Election Day. And included, by bringing them into the conversation with the biggest names in the movement. Today they were visited by Governor Ted Strickland, Senator Sherrod Brown... and, oh yeah, this guy:
That's right--Barack Obama himself, after two rallies today in Chillicothe and Columbus, took time off his schedule to meet with six hundred people in Ohio... whose votes he can surely count on. He met with them because these are some of the people working the hardest for him in the whole country, let alone Ohio. He met with them because community organizing and the power of it is fundamental not only to his own personal biography, but also to the philosophy of this campaign. He met with them because even after November 4th, after the votes have been gotten out, change will start from the bottom up.
This is how we win. Get out your own vote, and then you can be a part.
Today was Day 5 of the 7 days in which Ohio voters can REGISTER AND VOTE, all in one stop. Anyone unregistered can click here to get registered, or click here for your Early Vote location, where you can register and vote all in one stop--but only until the end of the day Monday!
Many of those unregistered voters are students, and it will take a lot of effort to get them all out and registered before Tuesday. Sometimes it needs some encouragement from a friend:
Today, just across the street from the early vote location in Columbus, hip-hop pioneer and philanthropist Russell Simmons headlined a Voter Registration and Early Vote rally in Genoa Park. Local politicians and campaigns were out in force; pictured here is an interview with Jose Luis Mas, Chairman of the Ohio Hispanic Coalition.
Simmons was preceded by a stirring group of soul singers, and followed by a local rock n' roll act. After the music, Russell led a rousing march from the river, across and down Broad street, to the Veterans Memorial, where the rally-goers voted early (and got registered, if they weren't already!).
The action continues tomorrow, when Bruce Springsteen will make the message loud and clear: Register to vote, and vote early!
Don't take our word for it. Just listen to some of the thousands of Ohioans who already voted today, on the first day of voting in Ohio for the 2008 Presidential Election:
"My husband and I voted today in Cincinnati, Ohio. The process was well explained and simple and there were plenty of trained workers on hand to help. I would definitely vote early again, given the opportunity." "I voted at 1:05 p.m.; ran over during lunch break (I work downtown); I was out by 1:40 p.m... It all went smoothly and I hope everyone makes an honest effort to get out early and vote and help deliver this state for Barack and Joe." "It was a piece of cake! There quite a few people there, they seemed very excited and relieved that the day had fianally arrived when they could cast their vote for Obama!""I went to Franklin County's early voting site at Veteran's Memorial. There were no long lines, the poll workers were helpful, and it was nothing but a positive experience. It sounds odd, but I thought that by voting early I'd be missing out on the experience and excitement of casting my vote on November 4th. Voting early turned out to be an energizing experience that I would do over again if I had the chance. I was able to cast a paper ballot in person and even received the 'I voted today' sticker!"
"My husband and I voted today in Cincinnati, Ohio. The process was well explained and simple and there were plenty of trained workers on hand to help. I would definitely vote early again, given the opportunity." "I voted at 1:05 p.m.; ran over during lunch break (I work downtown); I was out by 1:40 p.m... It all went smoothly and I hope everyone makes an honest effort to get out early and vote and help deliver this state for Barack and Joe." "It was a piece of cake! There quite a few people there, they seemed very excited and relieved that the day had fianally arrived when they could cast their vote for Obama!"
"I went to Franklin County's early voting site at Veteran's Memorial. There were no long lines, the poll workers were helpful, and it was nothing but a positive experience. It sounds odd, but I thought that by voting early I'd be missing out on the experience and excitement of casting my vote on November 4th. Voting early turned out to be an energizing experience that I would do over again if I had the chance. I was able to cast a paper ballot in person and even received the 'I voted today' sticker!"
Sounds pretty simple, right? Just look up where you go to vote early in your county with this link, go out and vote for Barack, and then, knowing you've already voted, you can commit the next five weeks to getting others to vote for Barack too!
Did you already vote early? Want to report a problem, question, or share a good experience? Just use our Early Vote Share page, and let us know how it went!
The last twenty-four hours have seen a flurry of activity in the Buckeye state, as Ohioans celebrated and then acted on their chance to cast their vote for Barack Obama a full five weeks before Election Day.
It started with sleepovers outside of County Boards of Elections (in most cases, your location for early voting) last night--people were just that excited about voting early. Nowhere was this more true than at the Veterans Memorial in Columbus, where a group of about 30 indefatigable supporters from the Ohio State University ate pizza, danced into the night, and camped out in tents to be some of the first to vote for Barack.
Click HERE to see video of the sleepover, where students explain how easy it is to vote early, on our Early Vote location webpage.
However, the grand prize goes to Chris, a volunteer in Montgomery County, who due to his county's early voting hours holds the distinct honor of being the first person in all of Ohio to cast his ballot in the 2008 Presidential Election. Only with a candidate like Barack, in a movement like this, could you find such proud and enthusiastic supporters.
Finally, way down in Chillicothe, a group of volunteers and supporters gathered early this morning for coffee and then crossed (or perhaps marched) across the street to cast their vote as a group.
It feels good to vote for Barack. It feels even better to do it early. Click HERE to find out where you go.
**Have you voted early? How was it? Fill out our Early Vote Share form, or let us know in the comment section below!
Yesterday, mega-popular R&B and Soul musician John Legend held a series of rallies and impromptu performances, to encourage Ohio voters to get registered (by October 6th), and VOTE EARLY, which started today! But while the appearances in Columbus at OSU, Dayton at Wright State, and Cincinnati were all great events, none were more special than the one in Springfield--John's own hometown.
In front of a crowd of many long-time friends and family, John was introduced by his mother, who gave a rousing singing performance herself before talking about raising her child in Springfield. The occasion resonated even more potently for local Neighborhood Team Leader Mitchell, who started the Obama grass roots organization in Springfield out of her own home--which also happens to be the childhood home of John Legend himself. She said it was moving for her and the team she built to see John come back home for Obama:
I've known Johnny since he was little and about 4 years old. I remember him crossing the street with his piano sheet music tucked under his arm, on the way to school.
Between songs during the performance, and afterwards meeting with the crowd, John encouraged the people of the Springfield area to get registered and vote early. As he said over and over, he wanted to come back to Ohio because it's time the Buckeye state went "blue for Obama."
Don't know where to vote early? Click HERE for our Early Vote location page.
Still not registered? Or need an absentee ballot? Click HERE for VoteForChange.com, where you can get all your election needs taken care of.
I worked in the precincts in East Columbus in the Kerry campaign...on Election Day I was there from 5 am, helping, cajoling, reminding to get registered democrats to the polls.
The then Secretary of State, Blackwell, I think, was not only in charge of election procedures in Ohio, he was also head of Bush's campaign committe in the state. Conflict of interest? Not one that bothered the Bushies.
In the area I was working in, among the poorest, African American parts of the city, Mr. Blackwell had sent along the most primitive voting machines, subject to frequent breakdowns, while in Upper Arlington, the most Republican part of the city, the polling places were assigned the newest, zippiest polling machines.
A young Republican matron could go into her polling place and be out in five minutes. In my area, there were long lines..sometimes with 1-2 hour waits to be able to vote. If you have to get to work, take care of your kids, or an aging parent, you can't spend that much time waiting to vote. The effect of Mr. Blackwell's voting machine distribution was just one small way of suppressing the votes of those likely to vote for Kerry.
This kind of tactic went on all across the state. Kerry lost Ohio, and the Presidency by about 110,000 votes...
I'm going back to Ohio to work again for the election of a Democrat. I grew up in Columbus, graduated from Ohio State, and have spent most of my adult life living in New York City. I'm a broadcast journalist and worked at NBC News for many years, Nightly News, and the Today Show. Before that, I was a producer at CBS Sixty Minutes. I have no doubt that this is the most crucial election of my life. I'll be back in Ohio. I'll work Once More, but this time more effectively, I hope, for an Obama victory. (Babysitting pools in my precincts?)
